While January poses a fresh start and, for many, a time to start getting in shape ready to look like Kendall Jenner on our summer holiday, it can be a little difficult to drag yourself to the gym. Let’s be completely honest, slogging it out on the treadmill can be a complete snooze fest and in many cases the thought of it fills us with such dread that we decide against the idea completely.
Welsh Girl Fit is here to help! Gym classes are a great way to get you motivated and inspired, and you can use the personal trainer’s expert advice to get a full-body workout. There’s a class out there for everybody and today’s features 6 classes you need to try in 2016.
1.Pole Fit
We’ve all been there – attempting to whirl ourselves around a pole (or lamppost) on a drunken night out in Cardiff – but did you know that pole dancing is an amazing way to keep fit and to really tone those arms and abs? In order to keep yourself from slipping down the pole you need a lot of arm strength and, most importantly, a solid core to keep you balanced when holding the moves. The benefits of pole fit are truly amazing!
What’s more, it’s really fun and a great way to get out with friends and keep fit in the process! South Wales’ “Pole Twisters” is a pole dancing and fitness school based in Cardiff. They host an array of classes for all genders, shapes and sizes, and if you’re not comfortable learning in the middle of a class you can have a workout at home. They bring the poles to you!
2. Zumba
Zumba burst onto the fitness scene a few years ago and has since spread its booty shakin’ classes across 180 countries, with over 15 million people participating in classes worldwide. For those of you who don’t know Zumba is a dance fitness class mixing “low and high intensity moves” to get your blood pumping, calories burning and body grooving!
An instructor takes the stage at the front of the class teaching funky dance moves to chart-topping music. It’s like your classic aerobics class but incorporates fitness and cardio, muscle building, toning and even a little twerking to give you a total-body workout. Classes are available everywhere, so check out their website to find out when and where the Zumba-thon is in your area.
3. BodyPump
Want to lift more weights but a little nervous to venture into this “male-dominated” area of the gym? BodyPump is the class for you! Using barbels and repeating muscle-based movements to the beat of the music, this class is perfect for ladies looking to tone up in 2016.
The exercises included in a BodyPump class are:
- squats
- deadlifts and rows
- chest presses
- clean and press (lifting the barbell from the ground to above the shoulders)
- lunges and leg exercises
- bicep curls and tricep dip
The class works every single muscle through repeating rep-combinations and moves to the beat. A recent study conducted by researchers at Sao Paolo University in Brazil and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tested the actual effectiveness of the BodyPump program on the group most likely to try it, sedentary women. Breaking Muscle reports that “researchers concluded BodyPump classes were effective at increasing muscular strength and endurance and developing efficiency in movements and muscle activation”.
Still not convinced? It was confirmed in Fitness Research last year “that BodyPump has strong calorie and fat-burning effects and it improves aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and muscular endurance.” With expert instruction from trained instructors, you will leave with your legs feeling a little shaky after all the squats, but energised and ready to return next week nevertheless.
4. Doga (aka. Doggie Yoga)
If you love dogs and you love yoga, then you’re definitely going to love this one! Doga brings dogs and yoga together to create a fitness class that’s perfect for you and your pampered pooch. With stretches that incorporate your doggy friend, you and your dog will leave the class feeling completely relaxed. I’m not entirely sure my dogs would behave and sit still for the whole class, especially when it’s supposed to be a calming, tranquil environment, but this looks like a lot of fun and keeps you fit in the process. After all, they don’t call it the downward-facing dog for nothing!
5. HIIT
Great for blasting body fat and really working up a sweat, HIIT is high-intensity interval training and it does exactly as it says on the tin. Through short, sharp bursts of intense exercises, with even shorter rest periods this gets your heart rate to its maximum and burns more calories in less time! Yep that’s right, you don’t have to slog it out for hours on the treadmill to get maximum results.
“A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery,” Eric Salvador, head instructor at The Fhitting Room in New York City, tells the Daily Burn. “This afterburn effect is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.”
Think burpees and sprints combined with jump squats and mountain climbers and you’ll get the picture. Extremely intense but helping to boost metabolism and shed weight.
6. Hot Pod Yoga
Ahh, yoga… A gentle exercise we can all enjoy, with absolutely fantastic benefits for both the body and mind. Yoga tones your whole body, with specific focus on core strength, stability and balance, and helps to restore calm, clarity and tranquility to the mind through a series of stretches and with a little hint of self-love. But have you ever thought of doing Hot Pod Yoga?
Hot Pod Yoga teaches Vinyasa Yoga moves whilst taking in the warmth of an inflatable, 37oC heated pod. These pop-up studios can be found across England and Wales, and the heat helps to improve flexibility whilst making the heart work faster, so you tone up and burn calories too. Perfect for these cold Winter days!
What are your favourite fitness classes?
Let me know in the comments below!
welsh girl fit 